Think of it as a middleman that provides a tunnel between you and the websites you're visiting.

In this modern internet age of big data, cybercrime and online surveillance, a VPN is certainly turning into one of the most essential tools everyone should have in their arsenal.

Here are five reasons why you need to use a VPN for enhanced security on your everyday online activities:

1. Hide your IP address

With a VPN, the actual IP address of your computer is hidden from websites and services you visit. This means websites, advertisers, trackers and hackers, snoops and even your ISP can't trace back your activity to your IP address.

For extra security, excellent VPN services like FREEDOME VPN from our sponsor F-Secure will never keep traffic logs or records of your activity that could be linked back to you.

2. Hide your location

Here's another advantage of using a VPN service -- you can switch your VPN server's geolocation and make it appear like your internet traffic is coming from another country.

By changing your virtual location, you can bypass location restrictions from video and music streaming services that only allow access from specific regions and even visit websites that are banned or censored by your host country's government or your ISP.

With FREEDOME VPN, you can change your VPN's virtual location and you won't see the text "this video/service/website is unavailable in your country" again.

3. Your traffic is encrypted

Although most VPN services can hide your IP address, not all of them offer end-to-end encryption. For your utmost security, hiding your IP address is not enough, you need to keep your data private too.

With good VPN services like our sponsor F-Secure's FREEDOME VPN, all your traffic is encrypted, meaning the data that travels between the VPN server and your computer is undecipherable to would-be eavesdroppers.

This end-to-end encryption will protect you from surveillance outfits, cybercriminals and snoops who want to intercept and analyze your traffic.

4. Protect yourself on public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi networks at coffee shops, fast food chains and airports can be lifesavers when you're in a pinch.

But is "free" Wi-Fi really free? What most people don't realize is that there are a lot of trade-offs when you connect to public Wi-Fi spots. Simply put, if you browse on a public Wi-Fi network without ample protection, your browsing and online activity will be exposed.

See, if an opportunistic snooper is also on the same network, it gives them a good chance of eavesdropping on what you're doing. A clever hacker could even inject malware into your traffic or trick you into giving out your passwords.

Fortunately, a VPN can also protect you from public Wi-Fi attacks and prevents crooks from intercepting your web traffic. For example, with FREEDOME VPN's encryption, your traffic is undecipherable to others even on unsecured public Wi-Fi, making it impossible to intercept.

5. Surf the web safely and privately

But help is just around the corner -- FREEDOME VPN blocks unwanted third-party tracking and malicious sites too. This will certainly stop advertisers and cybercrooks from making money at the expense of your privacy.

FREEDOME VPN can cloak your activity from advertisers, hackers and even spying from government agencies or your ISP. When you protect your traffic with a VPN, your browsing will be private and secure, giving you the online freedom you deserve.

Simply put, our sponsor F-Secure's FREEDOME VPN is the easiest and most reliable solution for your online privacy and anonymity.

Surf the net privately and securely

Things are particularly frightening when you're out and about and connect your gadget to public Wi-Fi. That's because if you browse the internet on public Wi-Fi, everything you do will be exposed. A criminal could infect your device with malware, or even trick you into handing over sensitive information like passwords to your online accounts. Tap or click here to learn more.